Creative Aging Blog: A Forum to Share Our Stories
The Guest House by Rumi
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all! . . .
. . . Right now, I invite you to welcome whatever emotion you are feeling at the moment into your “home” as a guest, whether it be anxiety, fear, grief, sadness, anger, frustration, or helplessness (the list goes on).
Grab your writing tool of choice and see where this thought takes you. Put away your inner critic and just start. The goal is to keep writing, so don't worry about grammar or even making sense. It's all about getting your uncensored thoughts onto the page. When you’re done you can hit “delete,” shred the page or keep it. But, I can guarantee this: you’ll feel a little lighter for saying what you’ve wanted to say.
What are you curious about?
As we get older, we have a wonderful opportunity to open up ourselves to our own curiosity. Creating more space and expansiveness in our lives allows us to figure out our priorities and listen to that inner voice, that quiet but persistent whisper that wants to try something new — perhaps research Egyptian history, travel to Bangkok or Baton Rouge, learn how to make pastry dough or play the piano, volunteer with immigrants or run for political office. Whatever it is, you owe it to yourself to stop and listen.
In order to your get creative aging juices flowing, I'm going to offer writing prompts from time to time. These are questions to get you thinking about yourself in different ways. So, grab your writing tool of choice (laptop, pen, pencil, paper), find a comfortable spot to sit and put your critical voice on hold. In fact, tell your inner critic to leave the room.
